Submissions Needed for the Statewide Mentoring Newsletter!

Mobius staff and the Program Leadership Council at the September meeting at the King Street Center in Burlington.

The following message is directed to the dedicated staff members at mentoring programs throughout the state of Vermont:

I believe that collaboration is key to the success of any initiative. Here at Mobius, we have undergone a major transition over the past year from a regional mentoring agency into Vermont’s Mentoring Partnership. It’s been a lot of work, but this transition has been successful so far because of all the hard work that people all around the state who believe in mentoring have put in to make it happen. Mobius has worked hand in hand with mentoring programs and funders throughout this process, and we are excited to continue this journey together as we work to form a unified vision and voice for the mentoring cause here in Vermont.

The Mobius staff had a great time earlier this week meeting with the Program Leadership Council, a dedicated group of mentoring program representatives from around the state who have been elected by you (their colleagues) to help shape the direction of Mobius’ statewide transition. Four of these council members also serve on Mobius’ Board of Directors. In concert with the Program Leadership Council, we are working diligently to expand awareness of the mentoring cause, and develop an inclusive, statewide reach. One new project we are working on this fall to help achieve this goal is the launch of a monthly statewide mentoring newsletter.

Our VYT AmeriCorps VISTA member Daron Blake will be working to develop the newsletter, and is looking to programs across the state for ideas on how to best promote your stories and successes. It is because of the hard work that you do on a daily basis that youth throughout the state who have mentors are more likely to graduate from high school, form positive relationships with peers and other adults, and feel a greater sense of connectedness to their communities. You have all seen firsthand the power a mentoring relationship can have, both for the young person and for the mentor, and we look to you to help us demonstrate that power to potential volunteers, and also to funders and other people in the state who have the capacity to support mentoring in other ways. We want to highlight both the good work that your program is doing, and the positive impact mentoring can have for other youth and communities who have not yet experienced the benefits of a mentoring program.

The first issue of our newsletter will be released at the end of September, and we will be accepting submissions and photos until Thursday, September 26. We would love to hear all about the great work that your program is currently doing, any outstanding volunteers you would like to recognize, and any upcoming events you would like to share with people throughout the state. Please feel free to reach out if you have any questions about this project, and we encourage you to email any newsletter ideas to Daron: [email protected] Thank you for working collaboratively with us to spread the mentoring message to a wider audience!